[kj] Jane's Addiction Last Night at The Roxy

[Matthew Burke]

Maybe they're just trying to get their legs under them re: the setlist.  I liked a lot of things from Strays, especially impressed that it was written in the studio after they were apart for so many years.  And I did see them nail the material live on a number of television spots.  And Stephen Perkins is too often overlooked in discussions about modern rock drummers.  I feel the worst for him during the breakups because he always looks so happy and enthused when he's playing.


m



> From: planetary at socal.rr.com

> To: gathering at misera.net

> Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 19:48:03 -0700

> Subject: [kj] Jane's Addiction Last Night at The Roxy

> 

> I caught Jane's Addiction's free show at The Roxy in Hollywood last night via their website guest pass contest.

> 

> I have to say, overall the show was *really* good, excellent in some ways and perhaps better then the two reunion LA club shows (and

> certainly better then the NIN/JA show I caught last Summer) I caught with original bassist Eric Avery just over a year ago.

> 

> My friend got there around 7pm and there was only about a dozen people who'd lined up in the JA.com line earlier in the day (he was

> behind someone who'd been there since 2pm). I ran a little behind and got there just as the chick started going through the line

> confirming the list of VIPs and handing out wristbands. About 8:15, they let us in and I guess let some if not most of the second

> line of people who had shown up through the day and early evening hoping to get in. I have no idea how many of those walk-ups

> actually got in but it looked like about another 200 people were lined up.

> 

> The vibe in the Roxy was excellent and the place seemed smaller than I remember it being (the last time I saw a show there was Sonic

> Youth in the early 90's). About 9:15, a "performance group" which was basically a local Jim Rose type freak show type bunch from

> Venice Beach of 4 guys, a couple chicks and the announcer did their little 20 minute shtick. One dude stick long needles through his

> arm and cheek, one guy swallowed swords, some young guy contorted himself and the "Bearded Boy" or whatever the fuck he was called

> basically did nothing. If you've seen the Jim Rose Circus and his act, this was the low rent version but a lot of people seemed to

> enjoy it and they didn't overstay their welcome.

> 

> Just after 10pm, with a short introduction by the two mildly Gothy S/M dressed chicks from the Venice act who were then hoisted up

> above the stage swinging on either side of the stage *from their skin* as Jane's came on and opened with a solid version of

> "Whores." The whole effect worked extremely well although the sound mix was fairly muddy with Perry's vocals and Dave's guitar

> buried in the mix for the first 3rd of the show. The audience was really vocal and the band clearly fed off the positive vibe. Up

> through "Ain't No Right," I was really thinking the show was on the cusp of ranking right up there with the best Jane's shows I'd

> ever seen. Then came "Ted Just Admit It" and Perry's odd looking wife Etty and another other chick came on and did a cheesy bump n'

> grind while the band played.  About mid way through the song, it seemed the band lost the plot and it really kind of dissolved into

> a sonic mess. The crowd ate it up and the rest of the set turned out very tight and nearly flawlessly performed. Three Days was

> excellent and imo, the best song of the night.

> 

> The setlist was all culled from their first 3 studio albums from the 80's and early 90's. I was actually hoping for either a deep

> cut (even something from the "Strays" album) or something new and in that respect, the night was a bit of a letdown. It was

> basically a greatest hits set from the first 3 albums:

> 

> Whores

> Had A Dad

> Ain't No Right

> Ted Just Admit It

> Mountain Song

> Been Caught Stealing

> 3 Days

> Stop

> Ocean Size

> Jane Says

> Chip Away

> 

> The atmosphere onstage was a lot more positive than *any* of the shows I caught with Eric last year. I didn't get the feeling this

> was a divided camp with a lot of tension between the bass player and others onstage like it was with Avery in the band. Former Guns

> n' Roses/Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagen may be working for a paycheck, but he genuinely looked like he was enjoying himself

> and as the show moved along and the crowd kept the energy level high, it clearly encouraged and fueled the band in the right

> direction.

> 

> Duff came off as much more confident and integrated with the band than any footage I've seen up 'til now. His playing was solid and

> his presence easily puts him above recent replacement bassists they've had over the last decade. Booze and hard living has certainly

> taken it's toll on his looks, he's pretty much in the Iggy Pop category nowadays.  He got a more reasonably sized bass drum for Chip

> Away and didn't have the issues he had with that monster boom-boom drum at the festival show. IMO, Dave Navarro played better'n any

> of the shows I've seen in the last couple years. Drummer Stephen Perkins is as always, 100% on the money. I have never seen Stephen

> give less than an outstanding performance and tonight was no exception. As a frontman, Perry still has it. As a singer, he needs to

> either find different ways to approach some of the classic tunes, work on his voice or move on to music that suits his current way

> of singing. He's always had a weak, limited range which is even more limited these days and I really think he was purposely buried

> in the mix until "Been Caught Stealing" when he seemed much more prominent and clear in the mix.

> 

> The only minor negatives was the fact it was a greatest/oldies hits set, Ted was a mess and the whole "Perry gets his wife onstage

> any time he can" thing. She was up with the other chick for Ted, 3 Days and Chip Away doing the cheesiest stripper bump n' grind act

> and when she was onstage, Perry would often get lost screwing around with her to the point it was distracting. During "Jane says,"

> she was with the other chick behind the drum kit drinking wine and carrying on like a teenaged groupie. It works to a degree with

> Three Days, but when it's a quarter of the songs on the set she's posing and gyrating onstage, it gets really pathetic.

> 

> That said, I think the band came off very well and they have a certain level of confidence and tightness that it's time to start

> taking serious chances with the set going forward if they're going to be doing more club shows. I'm glad I caught tonight's show and

> appreciate the fact the band made it not only easy to see them tonight, but that it was free.

> 

> BTW, during the short break before "Jane Says," I hit the restroom and I'm pretty certain I passed Trent Reznor who was dressed in

> jeans and a plain tan t shirt.  Billy Duffy and Tom Morello were also in the audience.

> 

> First Song "Whores" and "Ain't No Right"

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YtIMai2YfE

> 

> The last half of "Three Days"

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwgnZGUOxhs

> 

> T.B.

> 

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